To reach Šeberov from the center of Prague, one can ride Line C of the Czech capital city’s metro system south to its penultimate stop. A bus goes the rest of the way to the village of about 3,000 people, which is technically now within Prague’s city limits but still separated by a sliver of greenery from the metropolis that has grown toward it.

Kovářský rybník — “rybník” is Czech for pond — lies in the middle of Šeberov, near the auto body shop that Jaroslav Hertl owns.

A few buildings up the main drag, a street called K Hrnčířům (pronunciation: difficult), one finds Pizzeria di Carlo. This is Šeberov’s primary gathering spot, a bustling eatery in an area long characterized by agriculture but more recently hit by suburban development ringing the outskirts of Prague.

Step inside Pizzeria di Carlo and there it is, nearly 6,000 miles away from the Bay Area: a teal Tomáš Hertl San Jose Sharks jersey, proudly...